Better
by repmetsyrrah
Summary: S/T AU. "We've gotten so much better at this don't you think?" Sybil sighs happily, remembering their first awkward attempts at lovemaking. Part of my blind Tom AU.


This little oneshot is a birthday fic for the amazing, lovely and supremely talented piperholmes! This fandom just wouldn't be the same without her. I hope you have a wonderful day, Piper, and may there be many, many more to come.

This is set in my Blind Tom AU which also includes _Beautiful_ and _Darkness_ and the M-rated _Touch _and_ Explore_. This fic is in the latter group. If you haven't read any of the others all you really need to know is that in this AU Tom was left blind in a police raid on his workplace in Dublin shortly after the events of 3x03. Sybil and Tom now live at Downton with their daughter.

Enjoy!

Thanks, as always, to babageneush for the beta.

**Better**

* * *

Sybil Branson was failing miserably at holding herself back.

They'd agreed that spending the morning in bed was a perfectly wonderful idea- but they'd, of course, have to be quieter than usual. Something they had seemingly both forgotten almost immediately.

A part of her mind thinks she should try harder but Tom's hands are everywhere and then he shifts their position subtly, sinking even deeper into her, and she can't bring herself to care who might hear them.

His hand reaches between them and in moments she tips over the edge, with only enough presence of mind to pull his mouth to hers, muffling her cries as he joins her a second later.

After they've recovered their senses somewhat she feels him shift but she wraps her arms around him and holds him close, refusing to let him leave her just yet. He relaxes onto her, long since having given up his protests about his weight being too much.

His lips brush a spot just behind her ear and she hums something wordless, a sound of pure pleasure, appreciation and love.

They rest for a while, not needing to speak, until she does start to need some breath and pushes gently. Tom responds immediately, wrapping an arm around her and rolling them to their sides so they lie facing one another.

"So much for being quiet," he murmurs and Sybil can't help but laugh.

"I don't think locking your bedroom door during the day with your husband leaves much to the imagination at any rate."

"Better to lock it than have them not need to use their imaginations."

Sybil half-groans, half laughs as she remembers poor Ivy's shriek of surprise the morning she had walked in to light the fire, finding the Bransons keeping warm their own way. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so shocking if it hadn't been Sybil on top and the sheets on the floor leaving them completely exposed.

Thankfully young Ivy was already versed in marital relations and was more startled than scandalised. After all, they were married and that made it perfectly acceptable, she'd assured a mortified Sybil and Tom as they'd apologised.

"We've gotten so much better at this don't you think?" she sighs happily, remembering their first awkward attempts at lovemaking. Not that those moments were any less wonderful or special, but the novelty had gone and left a mastery in its wake that was just as exciting.

"Well, it's nice I'm getting better at something I suppose."

She tilts her head up, a hand coming to rest on his cheek and she looks up at his face. She's used to not meeting his gaze now, and she no longer experiences the sharp tug in her stomach at the sight of his blank eyes. It's hard to feel sad for him when she's seen all he can do, and when he's grinning so cheekily at her with that self-satisfied look he gets when he makes her scream for him.

"I mean, we know each other now, and goodness knows we've had enough practice…" she stops herself, she's been carried away and she suddenly realises what she had been about to say might not be the best thing to tell him.

"But?"

She's been caught, and she knows he won't let it go. He misses too much already.

"You weren't finished."

"No," she agrees. "But I wasn't going to say 'but'. However, I might have been about to say an 'although'..."

"Although?"

She sighs and shifts so that she's even closer to him.

"Although," she continues, hoping what she's about to say will be taken positively as she intends. "As much as I dislike that it's a necessity for you, I can't say I don't like how…" she frowns, trying to put it the right way. "You use your hands more now."

"I used my hands before!" he protests, almost indignant and Sybil laughs.

"You were almost scared to touch me at first!" she reminds him, remembering with fondness his intense nervousness and hesitation after the wedding.

He had wanted her so badly but now she had actually, truly given herself to him, he'd been absolutely terrified of scaring her with the strength of his desire for her. To the point she had had to initiate the majority of their marital relations during that first month.

"I only mean now you touch me all the time, everywhere, and it's not at all something I want you to stop."

He raises his eyebrows.

"You enjoy your poor, blind husband pawing away at you now do you?"

She's glad to see him smiling and can't resist kissing him, slow and reassuring until she pulls away and her hands find his, holding tight as she tries to explain.

"I dislike... what it is a symptom of," she says slowly, hoping he understands, "but…"

"You do like it?"

She presses her lips together. He looks far too pleased by her admission. The last thing he needs is her to tell him he's gotten better in bed. He takes great pride in the fact he's never had any trouble satisfying his wife and he's never been shy about reminding her of it.

But she supposes she's said it now, she may as well confirm it.

"Very much."

"Maybe I should pitch that for an article," Tom murmurs, his hands resuming their exploration as his mouth finds just the right spot on her neck to elicit another moan from his wife. "'The blind may not be good for much but we're better where it counts'."

She does stop him then, pulling his face up to hers and resting her forehead on his, their way of looking each other in the eye. "I don't want to hear that," she tells him softly. "Especially not here."

"I was joking, love," he assures her, though not entirely convincingly, but she lets it pass. Rebuilding his confidence is a long process, one she's come to accept will most likely take years.

Tom snakes an arm around her and rolls them gently until he's back above her.

"But you'll forgive me for being pleased that after all the things that I've lost along with my sight, there's at least one thing I've improved at."

His hands find her body again, one stroking down her hip as the other finds her breast- his mouth dipping to tease the other one. Sybil groans, partly in pleasure and partly in frustration, her body arching up into her husbands ministrations even as her head reminded her they didn't have the time but-

"Oh- yes," she gasps as his teeth lightly tug at her nipple and her hands tangle in his hair, pulling him closer.

Unfortunately it's only a moment later that she remembers the time.

"But no- Tom… we can't…"

He pulls back with a skeptical expression.

"You want to stop?"

"I don't _want_ to but we're going to be late for luncheon," she tells him, even as she desperately wants to let him continue.

Tom pouts, and Sybil fights not to give in to his pleading expression. Especially when he's looking particularly attractive at this moment, with his hair falling across his eyes (she needs to tell him to get it cut) and his face so innocently forlorn.

"We're going to be late for luncheon," she repeats, needing to convince herself now.

She can only imagine the look on her father's face if they stumbled into the drawing room late and obviously dishevelled (again).

He sits up, straddling her hips, his finger trailing absently over her abdomen, drawing patterns along her skin that sent shivers running right down to her toes. "You'd rather go to luncheon then let your beautiful, blind lover look after you?"

"Someone's _marvelously_ full of himself today," Sybil laughs, and he grins, leaning forward until his lips are right by her ear.

"Are you sure _you_ wouldn't rather be full of me?"

"Tom!"

They're not late in the end- they simply don't make it at all.


End file.
